Tarnished: A Soul Silver Nuzlocke
by Dndchk
Summary: A written account of my Soul Silver run. When Bree wakes up to find herself in Johto, of all places, she's pretty freaked out. With no idea of how she got there or how to get home, she decides she might as well make the best of it. There's just one little thing: In this Johto, Pokemon don't just faint in battle; there's a chance that they can die. Rated for language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, before any _Ebony_ followers shoot me for posting this instead of updating that, I'm sorry! I got into a bit of trouble with my parents and managed to get myself grounded. Before you come after me with pitchforks, please know that chapter eight of _Ebony_ will be up tomorrow.**

**Okay, now that THAT'S out of the way, hello to any new readers who were looking for a Nuzlocke fanfic. For those of you who don't know, there are two basic rules to the Nuzlocke challenge: You can only catch the first Pokemon you encounter in any given area, and if a Pokemon faints, it's dead and you have to release it. **

**A buddy of mine in RL challenged me to a Soul Silver/Heart Gold run (in other words, the person with the fewest deaths after the E4 wins), and we have a few modified rules:**

**1) Catch only the first Pokemon you encounter. There are two exceptions: If you already have that particular Pokemon, you get two other tries to catch something different, and if you see a Shiny (SHIIIINNNYYY) all catching rules fly out the window (but if you already have a Pokemon from that route, your Shiny has to be boxed).**

**2) If a Pokemon faints, it's dead. In order to keep track of the Pokemon we managed to kill off D': we put them in the PC box instead. (To explain this in-universe, I borrowed an idea that Pokemon have a 30% chance of dying in battle. As a Nuzlocke, all of mine do, but that's why rivals and such almost always have the same Pokemon. Credit for the idea goes to Ky-nim. If you haven't read her comics, do so NOW.)**

**3) All Pokemon have to be nicknamed, and the names must have a theme. I went with Harry Potter characters, because HP somehow manages to invade every aspect of my life.**

**4) The only items you can buy at a Poke Mart are Poke Balls (any kind). Revives/Max Revives are illegal to use, but anything else found on the ground is fair game. Since this is HG/SS, items that your mom buys are also good to use. :D**

**5) Because my friend and I are wusses, we gave ourselves ONE chance to bring a Pokemon back from the dead. ONE. CHANCE. After I finished my run, I still had it left, but I won't give away details until near the end of this f****ic. I'll just say that it did get used (technically).  
**

**I'm working on a Pearl run now and will post that as a sequel to this fic, but for now, enjoy the Soul Silver run! And sorry for the uber-long note. One last thing: this is written in the first person, so if you don't like that, you might want to back out now.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Pokemon, Trubbish would never have made it out of the concept room.**

* * *

I groaned and rubbed my eyes, yawning widely. I'd stayed up way too late reading the night before, and my body was letting me know it wasn't happy. I opened my eyes- and froze.

This wasn't my bedroom. Instead of the familiar green walls plastered with Harry Potter posters, this room was a dull brown color with a wooden floor. There was a TV on one side of the room with a weird looking computer next to it. The bed- my bed?- was tucked away in the corner, a map of some sort tacked above the pillow. Studying the map, I frowned. Someone had to be playing some kind of trick on me. The map was one I'd seen before, but never in such realistic detail. It was a map of the Johto Region.

"Okay, Alex, very funny," I said, though how my younger brother could have orchestrated something like this, I had no idea. When nobody popped open the door and yelled _Gotcha!_, I began to hyperventilate. How had I gotten here? Why wasn't I in my own room? Where was I?

I threw off the blankets and stood up. Immediately, I realized something else was wrong. I didn't feel like myself. Looking down at my body, I yelped. When I had gone to sleep, I'd been sixteen. Now, though... I couldn't have been older than twelve. My body was straighter, flatter, and I was definitely much shorter than I was when I'd gone to sleep. Normally, I wouldn't have been too fussed- I hadn't enjoyed passing the twelve-year mark- but the fact was, _I wasn't myself_.

My hair fell into my eyes and I brushed it away impatiently.

Wait.

Just wait a second.

I put my hands on my head. My short, wild brown hair was now longer. Much longer.

I was beginning to get extremely wigged out now. I mean, who just randomly wakes up and they're suddenly twelve again?

I had to see what I looked like. Taking another glance around the room, I spotted a dresser with a mirror hung above it. I rushed over.

Thank God I still looked mostly like myself, even if I was freaking _twelve_. I was pale and wild-eyed, and certainly didn't look as though I'd gotten a good night's sleep. If I wanted to find out what was going on, I'd have to act normal. First things first, I needed to get out of these pajamas.

There were two doors, one that hopefully led outside, and the other probably a closet. And there was a window. Of course, I had to look outside.

It was nothing like I'd ever seen before. The town beyond the window was small, almost quaint, with an oddly out of place large grey building tucked away near the back. The weirdest thing, though, was that nothing was paved. There were worn dirt tracks that led to different houses, but there was no concrete, no asphalt, nothing. It was unreal.

I pinched myself. It hurt.

"Where am I?" I whispered.

After pulling on jeans, a shirt, ans a jacket, I tugged on a pair of tennis shoes and tied my hair back. I'd been able to find a bag, a simple over-the-shoulder affair that would be able to hold a fairly large amount of stuff. After I'd done some poking around, I could hopefully load it with enough supplies to last long enough to get away if necessary. I was about to open the other door- the one out, I hoped- when I noticed a hook next to the door. A white beret with a pink stripe was set on it. I stared at it. It vaguely resembled the Derp hat worn by the female avatar from the Heart Gold/ Soul Silver games, except it wasn't three times the size of my head. There was still no way I was going to wear it, though.

Thankfully, the door opened and I hurried downstairs to find myself in a combined kitchen/living room area. A lady was sitting on the sofa, watching TV. She looked up when she heard my footsteps.

"Uh, hi," I began hesitantly.

"Oh, Bree, you're awake," the lady said happily.

Bree?But my name wasn't... oh. I always used 'Bree' on my Pokemon games, but it was really weird to actually be addressed as such.

"Yeah, uh, I was just going outside,"I said, eyeing her warily.

"Off to see Professor Elm? Okay, dear, have fun!"

"...right." I hurried out the door and all but slammed it shut before I slid down to the ground, my head in my hands, trying to think.

What the hell was going on? Where was my real mom, and my dad and my brother? Was I really in Johto? Even if I wasn't, how did I get here?

"_Marill!_" a soft voice said. I looked up and felt my jaw drop.

A little blue creature with big Mickey Mouse ears and a skinny tail that ended with a blue sphere was staring up at me with eyes that should have been too big for its head. It put its front paws on my knee, looking at me curiously.

"_Rill?_" it said. I almost fell over from the shock.

A Marill, a real, live Marill, was right there, talking to me. Hesitantly, I stretched out a hand to touch its head. The blue fur was silky and cool.

"This is unreal," I whispered.

"Azie!" a boy called. "Azie, where are- Oh, hey, Bree."

"Hi, uh..." I frantically tried to remember the name of the male NPC. "Ethan."

"Was Azie bothering you? I'm sorry." Ethan gathered the little Marill up, cuddling it against his chest. "Were you being a bad girl, Azie?"

"No, she was fine," I said, standing up. "She's adorable." I was able to get a good look at Ethan. A baseball cap was jammed on his head, but some of his spiky dark hair had escaped and was sticking out the sides. His brown eyes were warm, and I could tell from the way that he looked at the Marill- Azie- that he adored her.

"So, where are you headed?" Ethan asked.

I shrugged. "Professor Elm's lab. Mom said he was expecting me." Not exactly true, but I guessed that's why I was going over.

Ethan nodded, his eyes lighting up. "Cool! You'll have to show me your Pokemon after! I have to go; I promised Azie I'd play with her, but I'll see you later!" Ethan set Azie down and she scampered off, trilling happily when he gave chase.

I smiled as I watched them go. This was much more interesting than the lack of character relationships that were shown in the games.

My heart jumped when I remembered what Ethan said about getting my own Pokemon. If I was right, Professor Elm's lab was the big grey building I'd seen from the window. It looked much farther away than it was in the game. That made me pause.

If- and this was a big if, as I still hadn't quite ruled out the dream theory- this was some weird version of the Heart Gold/ Soul Silver games, I had no idea what would happen too far in the future. Out of all the Pokemon games I owned, Soul Silver was the only one I'd never gone past the first gym.

"Why couldn't I have been dumped in Sinnoh?" I muttered as I headed down the path. "At least that one I know almost by heart..." Not to mention, I'd always wanted my own Turtwig.

But maybe that was how I could get home. Beat the game and get out, right? With no clues to go on, it was really all I had.

**New Bark Town**

The town was much, much larger than it was in the games. As I walked, I kept trying to find something familiar, something that was normal by my standards, but to no avail. People went in and out of houses freely, chatting amicably with their neighbors. The houses were the only man-made structures I could see, and there were no roads or cars or even the smell of pollution. I didn't mind that last one, though. The air here was fresh, almost sweet, and it was nearly intoxicating. I'd never smelled anything like it before.

After about three minutes of walking, I found myself looking up at Professor Elm's laboratory. I took a deep breath and pushed open the nondescript white door.

The air-conditioned building smelled nothing like I thought it would. I was expecting chemicals, antiseptic, something laboratory-ish. It just smelled like clean fur.

The room was empty, dead silent except for several machined along the back wall, whirring and beeping softly. There were several doors to the right that must have led to other parts of the building.

"Hello?" I called hesitantly.

"Oh, hello! Come on in, don't be shy!" A thin, gangly man popped up from behind a desk, startling the living daylights out of me. He pushed his glasses up his nose and ducked back behind the desk. Curious, I walked around it to see what was going on.

"I dropped a file of notes just a minute ago," the man said, scrambling about in an effort to gather the papers. "Terribly sorry, I'm not trying to delay, just give me a minute- oops!" The man tried to snatch at the papers as they tumbled out of his arms again.

I knelt and began stacking the sheets. "Professor Elm?" I asked carefully.

"Yes, yes, that's me. I know it's not very dignified to be crawling around like this- oh, hello, Bree!" The professor jumped up and mulled me to my feet, shaking my hand enthusiastically with both of his. "So glad you made it! They're right this way, come along."

Despite the weirdness of everything that had happened so far, I couldn't help but smile. Professor Elm's enthusiasm was contagious.

He steered me to the back of the room, where a small machine held three Poke Balls. Professor Elm hit a button, and the glass covering the balls split, allowing access.

"Chikorita, Cyndaquil, and Totodile," Professor Elm said, indicating each ball in turn. "And one of them will be yours."

I stared at the balls, gnawing on the inside of my cheek. Whichever starter I picked would determine how almost everything else played out. I reached for the Chikorita ball, since grass was what I almost always went with, but then I stopped. For some reason that I couldn't explain, I found myself reaching for a different ball.

"Come on out, little guy," I said, setting the ball on the floor uncertainly.

A red light shot out of the button on the front of the ball and shaped itself into a Pokemon- _my_ Pokemon.

"_Quil!_" it squeaked, standing up on its back legs.

I think my heart almost melted. I'd chosen Cyndaquil, and oh my God, it was adorable. Its navy and cream fur was shiny, and its face vaguely resembled that of a mouse, but what really caught my attention were the flames spurting from its back.

I held out my hand and the Cyndaquil nuzzled against my palm, so I scratched it behind the ears. It purred happily, and I smiled. A faint, smoky odor clung to its soft fur, and its entire body radiated heat.

"That little fellow can be a bit of a handful," Professor Elm said, bending over to tickle it under its chin. "But he's very sweet. I think you two will get along nicely. Would you like to give him a nickname?"

"Uh, sure, just give me a minute." I continued to pet the little Cyndaquil, trying to think of a good name. Blaze? Ember? Cinder? Too cliche. Nigel? Adrian? Too normal. Besides, what happened to my habit of naming my Pokemon after Harry Potter characters? Suddenly, I knew what I wanted to name him.

I picked the Cyndaquil up under his forelegs and nuzzled him. "I'm going to call you Fawkes."

"_Quil!_"

* * *

_Fawkes joined the party! Male Cyndaquil, level 5, brave nature._

* * *

Professor Elm looked confused for a moment, but he shrugged it off. "Excellent name," he said, though I could tell he had no idea where it came from. "Now, Bree, can I ask you to run an errand for me? An acquaintance of mine known as Mr. Pokemon called and told me he made a new discovery. It's probably just an egg- he's obsessed with eggs, you know- but if you could go and pick it up for me, that would be most helpful!"

I looked down at the little Cyndaquil- Fawkes- and shrugged. Professor Elm _had_ given me my own Pokemon. The least I could do was say yes. "Sure."

"Great! Mr. Pokemon lives just north of Cherrygrove City. Just take Route 29 and you should be there in about two hours. You might want to tell your mother where you're going," he added.

Two hours?! It only took about two minutes in the game!I groaned to myself but nodded.

"Oh, and before you go, I should tell you- do you know how Pokemon battles work? Wild Pokemon might try to attack you if you-"

"Go into the tall grass, I know," I interrupted. Maybe I was being rude, but it was the same lecture every single time! I _knew_ how this stuff worked. "And when you battle, you try to knock out your opponent's Pokemon."

"Very good! You should take these as well," Professor Elm said, hurrying over to a cabinet and grabbing several bottles. He dumped them in my arms and I looked at the labels. They were Potions- five in all. I nodded and stuck them in my bag. "You want to make sure not to battle too much and overwork your Pokemon, though. You don't want to forget about that thirty percent chance of death, after all!"

My head shot up so fast I could hear my neck crack. "_What?_"

"Good luck and be careful!" And the next thing I knew, I was standing outside the lab, clutching Fawkes and staring at the door.

"_Cyndaquil?_" Fawkes asked.

I rubbed my eyes. "I don't know, buddy. I'm just as new to this as you are."

I headed back to 'my' house. "Mom!" I yelled, opening the door. "Professor Elm wants me to run an errand for him! I'll be back in maybe five hours!" I made to shut the door, but 'mom' grabbed the knob before I could pull it closed.

"Oh, but you can't leave without your Poke Gear!" she cried thrusting a tablet thing into my hands. I pushed the power button and puled up the map function. Not only did it show the layout of the Johto Region in much greater detail than in the games, but it also had a little flashing dot to show my current location, too. I imediately felt much better. Now I couldn't get lost unless I tried very, very hard.

'Mom' dumped several packages of dried food in my bad as well. "Make sure to take care, sweetie, and if you take longer than you anticipated, you can always sleep at a Pokemon Center. Have fun!" She planted a kiss on my cheek and disappeared inside.

I made my way to the edge of town, still weirded out by the whole thing. I mean, not just waking up and finding myself de-ages and in Johto, but the whole kid-goes-off-on-own-with-no-adult-supervision-for- long-periods-of-time thing. In my world, my real mom wouldn't let me off our street unless I took my phone with me and texted every so often so she'd know I wasn't eaten by ducks or something.

"Okay, Fawkes," I said, setting him down in the grass. "Are you ready?"

Fawkes didn't reply; he was too busy rolling around in the sweet grass. I knelt down. "Fawkes!"

He stopped messing around and darted over, sitting up on his back legs. I was starting to realize that was his way of telling me he was listening.

"Come on, boy, let's get you stronger."

**Route 29**

Fawkes trotted alongside me, keeping close to my heels as we walked down the path. I was jumpy, my adrenaline spiking every time I thought I heard the thicket rustle. The tall grass had definitely earned its name- I had yet to see any that was under five feet in height. Now I knew how Pokemon could hide in the tall grass, and how people could be ambushed so easily. None of that helped to calm my nerves. Professor Elm's words kept echoing in my head: 'You don't want to forget about the thirty percent chance of death, after all!'

But that wasn't how Pokemon worked. You only knocked them out, never killed them.

'You don't want to forget about the thirty percent chance of death...'

'Thirty percent chance of death...'

'Chance of death-'

"_Pidgey!_"

Fawkes and I spun around. A wild Pidgey had appeared from the tall grass and was circling overhead, preparing to strike.

"Get ready!" I yelled. The flames on Fawkes' back began to grow. The Pidgey circled lower. "Fawkes, tackle it!"

I could see Fawkes' leg muscles bunch, then he hurled himself at the Pidgey.

The Pidgey was faster. It slammed into Fawkes, knocking him back, but he gathered himself and lunged at the bird.

There was a thump as the Pokemon collided, and Fawkes skidded backward with the force of the impact. I yelled, but he just shook himself off and braced his legs.

"Tackle again! One more should finish it!"

"_Cyndaquil!_" Fawkes managed to dodge the Pidgey's next attack, then he slammed into its side. The Pidgey fluttered weakly, then was still.

Fawkes trotted over to me, looking smug, and I scooped him up, realizing I was trembling. I thought for a second that the Pidgey was dead, but after a moment, it ruffled its feathers and managed to fly away.

"You were so good, Fawkes," I murmured, burying my face into the soft fur on his neck.

"_Quil!_" Fawkes said proudly.

The corner of my mouth quirked up in a smile. "Really, you were great. But I think we'd better flee other encounters until we get to Cherrygrove, okay?"

Fawkes frowned and squirmed out of my grip, but he stayed close. We walked on, encountering Pidgeys and Rattatas and the occasional Sentret, but I would always call for Fawkes and we would run for it. Usually, the wild Pokemon were just defending their territory, and they would let us go, for which I was grateful. Maybe I was being paranoid, but I couldn't help but remember that thirty percent chance of death.

* * *

**A/N: I'll be keeping these end A/Ns short and to the point. The Pokemon Obtained is how many Pokemon I've had, both alive and dead. And... that's pretty much it.**

**Pokemon in Party: Fawkes (Cyndaquil)**

**Pokemon Obtained: 1**

**Pokemon Dead: 0**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Cool, three reviews already? Thanks a lot, you guys! *offers cookies***

**Just a quick note- I'll be leaving out some things that I deem unimportant to the overall story, like Apricorn picking and the Pokeatholon, that kind of stuff. Just so y'all know.**

**Also, POKEMON X IS AMAZING. Okay, I'm done.**

* * *

"Ugh," I groaned when the rooftops of Cherrygrove City came into view. "It's about freaking time!"

"_Cynda..."_ Fawkes agreed softly. About halfway through our trip, the little guy got tired and I ended up carrying him. He was in dire need of a Pokemon Center, too; a Pidgey hadn't taken kindly to our attempts to run, and Fawkes had been forced to stand and fight. It was a good thing Professor Elm had given me those Potions, or else I doubt we could have made it this far.

Cherrygrove City was much larger than New Bark Town, but despite the size difference, the roads were just as unpaved. It wasn't even much of a city, either- as far as I could tell, none of the buildings topped three stories- but a city was a city, I supposed. The only thing that really mattered was the Pokemon Center. All I had to do was find it, so I kept a lookout for a bright red roof.

Pokemon Centers had always confused me. They offer healing for no cost, but doing so couldn't be cheap. How did they stay in business? Were they privately funded? Donations? Government operated?

Did the Pokemon world even _have_ a government?

It should go without saying, but I was relieved when I found the Pokemon Center. Some of my questions were answered when I walked through the door; I hadn't seen a Poke Mart during my walk, but the lobby of the Pokemon Center had a corner counter dedicated to buying and selling trainer goods. I supposed that after buying more supplies to replenish their stock, the rest of the money was used to pay for medical services. The rest of the lobby had a scattering of sofas and tables, some occupied by trainers sitting with their Pokemon.

"You behave yourself, you hear?" I said as I lifted Fawkes onto the counter in the back. Fawkes nuzzled me, then allowed himself to be carried away by the nurse.

"Alright," I muttered. "Let's see if I can get me some Poke Balls."

* * *

"_Sold out? _What the hell do you mean, _sold out?_"

"I'm very sorry, miss, but a red haired boy bought us clean out," the sales clerk said. "We probably won't get any more until tomorrow."

I massaged my temples, feeling a headache coming on. "Okay, fine. I'm sorry I yelled at you. So you have any Potions or Antidotes?"

"Certainly. Potions are two hundred Poke apiece, and Antidotes are three hundred."

"You know what?" I said, feeling my heart sink, "I think I'll just hold off on buying anything."

The clerk looked disappointed, but not as disappointed as I felt. If I couldn't afford to buy any healing items, my baby's chance of getting killed was even higher.

I left the trainer's market and paced in the lobby, waiting for Fawkes so we could go train. Despite how soft and inviting the sofas looked, I was too restless to sit down. After I'd paced enough to wear a rut in the floor, the nurse finally showed up, Fawkes cradled in her arms. When he saw me, he began to squirm. The nurse set him down on the floor and he hurried over.

"Hey, buddy," I said as he hopped up into my arms. "Feeling better?"

"_Cynda! Cyndaquil,_" he said happily. I laughed and rubbed his head.

"I'll take that as a yes." I glanced back at the nurse. "He wasn't a bother, was he?"

"No, he was very well-behaved," she said. "You're welcome to come back again any time!" She gave Fawkes a pat on the head and left.

"_Quil?_" Fawkes looked up at me questioningly.

"You want to go outside and train?" He nodded vigorously. "All right, let's get going."

**Route 30**

Fawkes decided he wanted to lead this time, so I followed behind, keeping an eye out for hostile Pokemon. After barely fending off a ridiculously strong Ledyba, I took Fawkes back to the Pokemon Center before we headed back to Route 30. Maybe you couldn't measure Pokemon strength in levels here, but the concept of grinding was the same: fight, train, heal, repeat.

Finally, I felt that Fawkes was strong enough to make the journey to Mr. Pokemon's house, and we set off.

Only a few minutes away from the city, Fawkes suddenly darted away, disappearing into the tall grass.

"Fawkes!" I screamed, terrified that he'd get attacked. I ran after him to find him standing over a small purple bottle that was just lying in the grass. An Antidote.

Relief flooded through me. Fawkes was fine, and if any of my Pokemon (present and future) were to get poisoned, I had a remedy. Apparently, poisoning was almost always fatal, but the prices at the trainer's market were so outrageous, I'd never be able to afford anything, especially considering that most of my money would be going towards the already-expensive Poke balls, and food.

I stuck the Antidote in my bag and looked sternly at Fawkes. "As much as I appreciate that you want to help, next time, could you let me know there's an item instead of running off?"

Fawkes hung his head. I knelt down and rubbed his back. "I'm sorry, but I worry about you." I stood up and checked the sun. We had several hours until it set. "Stay close"

* * *

No mater how long I was stuck in Johto, I would never get used to how disorienting the tall grass was. It certainly lived up to its name; the shortest patches were about five feet tall, but the average seemed to be about seven feet. I'd often wondered how people could get jumped by Pokemon in the tall grass. Now I knew.

Our journey was slowed by me constantly having to stop in order to check the map on the Poke Gear. There weren't very many indicators on the route to show I was going in the right direction, and there was nothing to keep me from straying from the path. The inability to go into the trees in the games was annoying, but I would have really liked it if that were the case here.

By the time what I hoped was Mr. Pokemon's house came into view, I was exhausted, and Fawkes was even worse. Despite the training we'd done, the weak wild Pokemon had chipped away at his health, and I was about ready to use another one of my precious Potions.

"_Quil Quil!_" Fawkes tugged impatiently on my shoelaces. Even though he couldn't speak in the traditional sense, I was starting to get a better sense of what he was saying. 'Hurry up, you lazy human!' Or something along those lines.

"I'm going," I insisted. "Don't nag."

When we reached the door, I looked down at Fawkes. "Behave yourself," I warned. Fawkes gave me the stink-eye.

I knocked, suddenly feeling very nervous. If I remembered correctly, this was the part of the game where I would meet Professor Oak and receive the Pokedex. The thought of meeting the world's most famous Pokemon Professor (in both my world and this one) made me feel suddenly ill.

The door opened. An elderly man with neatly combed grey hair looked down at me in some surprise. "May I help you?"

"Uh, I'm looking for Mr. Pokemon," I stammered.

"Oh, you must be Bree! Professor Elm told us you would be coming. Here, why don't you come in?"

I paused. One of the most ingrained habits from my world, _don't go into strangers' homes,_ suddenly made me wary. I had to remind myself that unless I was talking to a Team Rocket guy, I could trust most people. besides, if I was right, this was _the_ Professor Oak. Pushing my doubts aside, I went in.

"The Professor sent you? Professor Elm?" A funny old man with wild candyfloss hair escaping from beneath a porkpie hat came bounding over, an egg patterned with red and blue triangles clutched in his arms. "Here," he said, thrusting it at me. I managed to catch it before it fell to the floor. "Very nice to meet you, I'm Mr. Pokemon, and my friend here is Professor Oak, who is visiting from Kanto."

"Nice to meet you," I managed to say. Mr. Pokemon's enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming.

Professor Oak bent over. "Don't mind him so much; he's a bit eccentric," he whispered. I covered my mouth to keep a giggle from escaping. "So," Professor Oak continued, kneeling down to get a better look at Fawkes. "I see Elm gave you a rare Pokemon."

"Yes, sir. His name is Fawkes."

Professor Oak looked puzzled. "Fox?"

Realizing what he was asking, I shook my head. "F-A-W-K-E-S. It's the name of a phoenix from a book series I like."

"Well then, it seems like an excellent name. Hello there, little one." Oak held out his hand for Fawkes to sniff.

Fawkes looked up at me and- I swear this is true- rolled his eyes.

"You know, I've been looking for someone who might be willing to work on the Johto Pokedex," Professor Oak said. "Professor Elm seems to trust you, and I can tell your Cyndaquil likes you a lot."

"_Quil!_" Fawkes agreed.

My mouth was dry. "Uh, I don't know. I've never trained Pokemon before." _Not for real, at least,_ I added silently.

Professor Oak put a hand on my shoulder. "I have a feeling that you have the potential to be a great trainer," he said. "You're more mature than you appear, I think."

_Only by four years._

But, to be honest, even though I was terrified of failing- of somehow messing up and losing my Pokemon, or never being able to go home- I wanted to complete that Pokedex. How many kids back home could say they had even completed a Pokedex in-game? It would be crazy to pass up this opportunity.

"I can try," I said uncertainly.

Professor Oak beamed. "Excellent! Hold on a second, I have a blank Pokedex in my briefcase." He hurried to a table nearby and began rummaging through said briefcase.

Mr. Pokemon waved to reclaim my attention. "I know I've sent Professor Elm eggs before, but I'm certain this one is special."

I frowned. "Are you sure? I mean, it looks like a regular Togepi egg to me."

Mr. Pokemon shrugged. "It's special!" he insisted.

"...Right." Thankfully, I was saved from having to say any more by Professor Oak.

"Here you go," he said, presenting me with a compact tablet that had a small keyboard at the base. After a brief search for the power button, I turned it on and allowed it to scan Fawkes.

"Cyndaquil, the fire mouse Pokemon. If it is angry or surprised, it shoots flames out of its back."

"Okay," I said, "_That_ was cool." There was a long entry of data about Cyndaquil, but I would have to wait until later to read it.

"I can't wait to see your results," Professor Oak said. "I wish you luck."

"Wait! Before you go-" Mr. Pokemon grabbed a Potion from a nearby cabinet and applied it to Fawkes' wounds. "There! Good as new!"

"Thank you," I said. "You have no idea how much that helped."

"Good-bye!" Mr. Pokemon waved cheerfully as I left, slipping the Togepi egg into my bag.

A few minutes down the road, I felt my bag begin to vibrate. I rummaged through it and extracted the Poke Gear. Apparently, I had a call coming from Professor Elm. I hit the answer button.

"Hello? Bree?" The Professor's panicked face appeared on the screen. "It's awful! I stepped outside for just a minute and when I came back to the lab, one of the Pokemon was missing! Please, can you come back as soon as you can?"

"Professor, calm down! I'll get there as soon as possible. Have you called the police yet?"

"Yes, I did, but thank you for asking. I'm just so worried!"

"It'll be okay, I promise. I'll be there in three hours tops, okay?"

"Thank you... I hope the little Totodile will be okay..."

I felt bad when I hung up, but I did have to get going. Professor Elm's frantic call meant, though, that the jerk redheaded boy who would soon become my rival was on his way to Cherrygrove City. I tried to remember what his default name was, but as I rarely got past this point in the game, my already minimal prior knowledge of the plot was almost worn out.

The walk back to Cherrygrove wasn't nearly as bad as the walk to Mr. Pokemon's house, but there was a growing lump of nervousness that had settled in my stomach. When we reached Cherrygrove, I made a quick stop at the Pokemon Center, then Fawkes and I headed to the entrance of Route 30.

As I rounded the corner, I ran straight into the very person I didn't want to see.

"Hey, watch where you're going, kid!" the red-haired boy snapped.

I bristled, the fear suddenly replaced by anger. "Kid? You can't be a year older than fourteen! And just for the record, you were right behind the corner, so it was kind of impossible to see you."

The boy snarled. "I'll teach you to talk back to your superiors!" He snatched the single Poke Ball from his belt and threw it to the ground. "Totodile, get her!"

The blue crocodile Pokemon appeared in a flash of red, snapping its long jaws. "_Dile!_"

"Fawkes, go!" I yelled. "Tackle it!"

Fawkes jumped forward and crashed into the Totodile. I realized in a flash that this was my first trainer battle, and it was one in which I couldn't afford to hesitate. One wrong move and Fawkes could die.

"Scratch!" the boy ordered.

"Tackle again!"

Fawkes managed to knock the Totodile to the ground, and used the brief respite to back off a little. I realized Fawkes was bleeding from three deep gashes in his flank.

This was not something the games ever showed. I scrambled to get a Potion from my bag. "Fawkes!"

Fawkes ran back to me and I sprayed him with the Potion, marveling as the advanced technology of the Pokemon world sealed the cuts.

But the time it had taken me to heal my baby gave the Totodile the chance to brace itself for the next attack. It simply stepped to the side when Fawkes rushed at it, extending its claws to scratch Fawkes once more. Luckily, the damage didn't seem to be too bad this time.

The boy sneered at me. "Not bad, for a weakling."

"I'll show you weak," I muttered darkly. "Come on, Fawkes! One more hit should finish it!"

Fawkes spun, his paws plowing shallow trenches in the dirt, then attacked again. He slammed full-force into the Totodile's side.

The Totodile's jaws gaped open, its eyes glazing over. Almost as if it were moving in slow motion, it toppled over, landing on its side.

"What?" the boy screeched, withdrawing his Pokemon. "Unbelievable! I stole the wrong Pokemon!"

"That's what you get for thievery," I said, stalking toward him. Before he could react, I grabbed his shirt and shook him. "Why would you do that? If you'd just _asked_ the Professor, he'd have given you a Pokemon!"

The boy's face turned as red as his hair and he shoved me off, straightening his shirt. "You have no idea who I am, do you?"

I spread my hands. "I'm kind of new here, give me a break." Fawkes tugged on my pant leg, but I shook him off. "I'll tell you my name- I'm Bree. Now what's your name? Or should I call you Dumbass?"

If it was possible, his face reddened even more. "My name's Silver," he said, struggling to keep from punching me. I could see his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. What was holding him back? Maybe Fawkes' presence was keeping me safe from more than just hostile Pokemon.

"Well, next time, Silver," I said, "You'd better hope I don't beat you, because I'll haul your sorry ass off to jail faster than you can say 'Quidditch'."

Silver blinked. "What's-?"

"Never you mind," I said quickly. "Now get lost."

Silver spat in the dirt and turned on his heel, continuing towards Cherrygrove City.

I felt my knees give out and I dropped to the ground, realizing I was shaking.

"_Quil? Cynda. Cindaquil?_" Fawkes sat back on his hind legs, looking at me accusingly. I smiled weakly.

"Sorry- just give me a minute. I'll get you to the Pokemon Center as soon as I can walk."

Fawkes shook his head and looked from Silver's retreating form to me.

"Oh, you want to know why I let him go?" Fawkes nodded. "It's just... just a feeling I have. Please, Fawkes, trust me on this."

Fawkes gave me a long look, but he dropped back to all fours. Of course I would pick the Pokemon with attitude.

A quick pit stop at the Pokemon Center later, and we started on the long walk home.

**New Bark Town**

The sun was starting to set when we finally reached the town. Needless to say, I was exhausted, and Fawkes was even worse.

When I pushed open the door of the lab, I was immediately grabbed by a burly police officer.

"What the f-?" I tried to twist out of his grasp, but he just tightened his hold. Fawkes' teeth clamped down on the officer's boot, but the man didn't notice.

"The one who did it will return to the crime scene! Young lady, you are coming with me!"

"Hey! Let me go!" I tried to kick him, but to no avail.

"Stop that," he scolded. "Just come along quietly-"

There was a knock on the door and Ethan burst in. "Bree! I saw you just got back and I wanted to- what's going on?"

The policeman had forced my hands behind my back. "The culprit has been apprehended, don't worry-"

"She never did anything!" Ethan snapped. "I told the officer who was here earlier, I saw a red-haired boy force open that window there-" he pointed. "and he slipped back out with a Poke Ball. Bree was gone in Cherrygrove City, right, Professor Elm?"

"Yes, absolutely," Professor Elm said, relieved that someone was speaking up. "She was running an errand for me."

I looked accusingly at the policeman. "If you let me go now, I won't press charges," I said, and was rewarded by the blood draining from his face. He practically threw me away from him and I wrenched my jacket straight. It was good to know the threat of a lawsuit held merit here, but if the rest of the police force was as nuts as this cop, it was no wonder Team Rocket could get away with so much.

I turned to Ethan. "You said the kid had red hair?" I asked, trying to sound curious. "Because I battled a boy like that, and he had a Totodile."

"That's the one that's missing," Professor Elm cried.

The policeman peered at me. "Did you catch this boy's name?" he asked quickly.

"Yeah, he said his name's Silver."

I wasn't expecting the chorus of gasps at my statement. I wanted to ask what was so important about Silver, but I held my tongue. I could find out later.

"This information is very helpful," the officer said. "Thank you very much, and I do apologize for my behavior."

"It's fine," I lied through my teeth.

"Professor Elm, good evening." The policeman tipped his hat and departed.

Ethan grinned at me. "I'm so glad he let you go. Unfortunately, not much happens here in New Bark, so you know how he likes to blow off steam- wait, that's right, you just moved here a few days ago. Never mind."

"...right. But hey, thanks for sticking up for me."

"_Quil!_"

"_Rill!_" Both of our Pokemon nodded.

"Hey, I have to run, but meet me at Route 29 later, okay?" Ethan said.

"Sure." It was the least I could do, considering.

"See you!" Ethan left, his Marill, Azie, trailing after him.

"Thank goodness you're unhurt," Professor Elm said, scratching the back of his neck and looking embarrassed. "I never thought Officer Rhodes would act like that..."

"Don't worry about it," I interrupted him. "Um, I got an egg from Mr. Pokemon. Here-" I fumbled with my bag and managed to extract the egg, but something else went tumbling out. I lunged and managed to catch the Pokedex before it hit the ground. Too close.

"Another egg?" Professor Elm looked slightly disappointed, but he took it anyway. He shook his head, then spotted the Pokedex in my hand. "Is that a Pokedex?"

"Oh, yeah. Professor Oak was visiting Mr. Pokemon, and I he thought I could fill it up for him."

Professor Elm nodded. "Professor Oak has a knack for finding gifted trainers, you know. Maybe you'd like to try taking the Gym Challenge?"

I grinned. "I was already thinking about that, actually."

Professor Elm beamed at me. "Bree, I'm sure you'll go far in life. I wish you luck. Now, if you'll excuse me..." And with that, he scurried over to his desk to begin examining the egg.

I motioned for Fawkes to follow me, and we slipped outside.

I needed to get ready for a long journey. Food, clothes, sleeping bag, money... I sighed. It looked like I would have to head 'home'. As I wasn't in any rush to get there, though, I decided to find Ethan.

He was waiting for me at the path leading to Route 29. "Awesome! You made it!" He was bouncing excitedly in place. "I figured you'd like to know how to catch a Pokemon, so watch me!" Azie looked up when he whistled, and she scuttled over to the tall grass. Almost immediately, she was accosted by a Ratatta.

"Okay, use Pound!" Ethan yelled. Azie jumped up and somersaulted, bringing her tail down on the Rattata's head. It swayed briefly, but it recovered and managed to hit Azie back.

"It's weak," Ethan said, not looking away from the battle. "Now's the time to try and catch it!" As he spoke, he pulled a Poke Ball from his bag, pressed the button to enlarge it, and threw it at the Rattata. It was enveloped in a bright red light and was sucked into the Poke ball. The ball rocked once... twice... three times... It stopped moving and shrank from the size of a softball to a golf ball.

Ethan knelt as Azie ran back to him, the Poke Ball clutched in her paws. "Thank you, Azie. Hi, little guy," he said, holding the ball up to eye level. "I'm going to call you Ryan."

I applauded softly. "Well done."

Ethan flushed. "It was just a Rattata," he mumbled, but he looked pleased. "Anyway, I wanted to give these to you." He handed me five empty Poke Balls.

"Thank you," I whispered, taking them reverently. "I tried to buy some in Cherrygrove City, but they were sold out-" I remembered what the clerk said about a red-haired boy, and I snarled. "That son of a bitch!"

Ethan jumped and looked at me, shocked. "Bree!" he said admonishingly.

"Sorry," I muttered, not sorry at all. Silver had bought all those Poke Balls, I was sure of it.

Ethan eyed me warily. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

I shrugged. "Maybe? I'll be setting off early; I'm going to try for the Gym Challenge, you know."

"Well, yeah," Ethan said, sounding like it was obvious. "Ever since you got here last week, it's the only thing you've been able to talk about!" He grinned, but my stomach plummeted to my toes.

"Uh, I really have to go. Bye!" I sprinted away, running back to 'my' house. But it wasn't my house. I wasn't Bree, the twelve year-old girl who had just moved to New Bark Town.

I ran past 'my' mother and up the stairs to 'my' room. I shut and locked the door, kicked off my shoes, and crawled into 'my' bed, where I burst into tears.

"I want to go home," I whispered into the pillow.

Something soft, warm, and smelling faintly of smoke squirmed under my arm. Fawkes. He was purring softly, but his warm amber eyes were sad.

"I'm sorry," I sniffed, burying my face in his fur. "This is all just so new to me, and none of this should be real, and I want to see my mom and my dad and my brother and my friends and-" I began to hyperventilate. The journey had taken my mind off of my predicament, but now that the day was over, the homesickness was closing in. "I don't belong here," I whispered.

Fawkes tucked his head under my chin, and I hugged him close and let myself cry until I fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, I was woken by Fawkes, who was prodding me impatiently with his nose.

"I'm getting up," I muttered, rubbing my eyes and yawning. Time to start my journey.

I raided the closet and found a tightly rolled sleeping bag, a large but empty water canteen, and enough clothed to last a month without washing. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough room in my bag, so I just packed two spare sets, figuring it wouldn't kill me to wear the same clothes several days in a row. All I had left to do now was get some food and fill my canteen.

'Mom' was just watching the television, and she barely looked up as I darted around the kitchen, packing as many items of lightweight, nonperishable foods as I could find. It looked like I would have to learn to like dried fruit.

"I've decided to take the Gym Challenge," I said casually, wondering what her reaction would be.

"Okay, dear. Have fun, and take care!"

I shook my head as I filled the canteen. I would never get used to the lack of concern over children.

"I'll see you, I guess," I said. "Bye!"

I waited for Fawkes to get through the door, then I stepped outside, taking a deep breath.

"Beat the League, get home," I said.

The breeze blowing through New Bark Town carried a sense of hope, of new beginnings for me. I'd handled myself fine yesterday. I could do this.

I hefted my bag higher on my shoulder and set off to Route 29, Fawkes trotting at my side.

"Okay, Fawkes," I said as we walked, "We need more teammates, so don't knock out anything, okay?"

Fawkes nodded. "_Quil! ...Cyndaquil?_"

I thought about his tone, trying to figure out what he was saying. "You want to know where we're going?" He nodded. "I figured we'd go back to Cherrygrove City, then after a lunch break there, head north to Violet City. How does that sound?"

"_Quil!_"

I stopped at the edge of the tall grass. "Okay. Let's see who will be our new team member." We pushed into the thicket.

_Please be a Pidgey, please be a Pidgey, please be a-_

"_Rattata!_"

"Well, crap. Fawkes, Tackle!"

Fawkes crashed headlong into the Rattata, and I realized with a start how powerful the little guy had become. The Rattata reeled, barely managing to stay on its feet. It growled menacingly.

I snatched a Poke Ball from my bag and pressed the button, then hurled it at the Rattata. A flash of red, and the Poke Ball rocked several times before shrinking.

I sighed. I didn't want a Rattata, they were like the Bidoofs of the Kanto and Johto Regions! But it looked like I was stuck with it.

I set the Poke Ball on the ground. "Come on out, little guy."

The Rattata sat on the ground, trembling. I carefully held my hand out and let it smell me. "Would you like to be one of my Pokemon?" I asked, praying the answer would be no.

"Rattata tata!" it said enthusiastically.

I sighed, trying not to let it see my disappointment. "You need a name... Are you male or female?" I realized it couldn't give me an answer to that, so I changed the question. "Are you male?"

The Rattata bobbed its- his- head.

"Okay... Alright. I think I have a name." I placed my hand on his head. "Welcome to the team, Scabbers."

* * *

_Scabbers joined the team! Male Rattata, level 2, Careful nature._

* * *

**Pokemon in Party: Fawkes (Cyndaquil), Scabbers (Rattata)**

**Pokemon Obtained: 2**

**Pokemon Dead: 0**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks to koryandrs for the review!**

* * *

**Cherrygrove City**

The Pokemon Center was just as wonderful as ever. Fawkes' health had been steadily depleted as we encountered Pidgey after Pidgey after Pidgey. It was like the universe was mocking me.

Scabbers didn't fight, as he was weak from the beating Fawkes had given him. Fawkes walked next to me and Scabbers rode in my arms, his nose twitching like crazy. Every time we were jumped, he would squeak and try to escape into my bag. Fawkes, on the other hand, had chosen an absolutely _wonderful_ time to be stubborn, and I finally gave up running from the Pidgeys when I had to endure several minutes of Fawkes' angry hissing.

"Just my luck. A Cyndaquil with an attitude problem and a Rattata scared of its own shadow," I muttered.

Fawkes hissed at me again.

"Okay, two Pokemon that need healing," I announced to the nurse, setting Scabbers on the counter. His whiskers twitched, and I scratched the top of his head in an attempt to calm him down. "It'll be okay, Scabbers," I said. "The nurses are very nice, and they'll have you feeling better in no time."

Scabbers looked doubtful, but when Fawkes went into the treatment room of his own accord, he allowed the nurse to carry him away.

I plunked myself down on one of the sofas and dug through my bag, looking for the food. The dried fruit was chewy, like raisins, and not very tasty, but I reminded myself that I would have to get used to it.

I was just finishing the last of my meager lunch when Fawkes and Scabbers came rushing through the door. They both tried to jump into my lap and ended up wrestling for the spot.

"Knock it off, you two," I said, separating them. "You're part of a team now, and you should at least try to get along." Deciding it would be best to change the subject, I opened a second package of fruit. "Here you go- lunchtime!"

Fawkes and Scabbers eyed each other as they approached the food. Before they could start fighting, I quickly sorted the fruit into two equal piles. "Now eat."

If it wasn't possible for a Cyndaquil to look indignant, Fawkes pulled it off. He turned his back on me and began to eat.

"Fawkes, if you're worried that you're being replaced with Scabbers, you're worrying about nothing," I said. "You're my first Pokemon, and I'll always love you, but you can't be a one-Pokemon team. Please don't be difficult."

"_Quil..._" Fawkes muttered, but he nodded.

"Thank you." I rubbed Scabbers' head. "And don't think I'm going to forget about you. You might not be very strong yet, but you'll get there." _Assuming you don't bite it within the next few days,_ I thought. Scabbers was adorable, but he was just a Rattata. They weren't exactly strong. "Once you two are finished, how would you like to go train?"

"_Quil!_"

"_Tata!_"

* * *

For a little while, Scabbers just watched Fawkes from the safety of my arms, but he soon became squirmy.

"You want to try?" I asked when he began to squeak. Scabbers nodded, and I set him on the ground after a moment's hesitation. He was just a Rattata, for crying out loud.

"Fawkes," I called, motioning for him to come back. "Let Scabbers have a turn."

Fawkes let go of the Pidgey he was fighting and hurried over, but he didn't look too happy to let Scabbers finish the job.

"Okay, Scabbers, tackle it! One more hit should be good!"

Scabbers' legs bunched underneath him, then he sprang at the Pidgey, moving so fast that he became a purple blur. I heard a _thump_, then the Pidgey was sent flying. It recovered while it was in the air and flapped unsteadily away from us.

I turned to Scabbers, my mouth open. "Holy. Crap."

Scabbers looked very pleased with himself, and even Fawkes seemed a little impressed.

"Do you think you can do it again?"

"_Quil!_" Fawkes kicked at my ankle. I sighed, but knelt next to him.

"He needs to be trained too, you know," I said, a slight edge to my voice. Fawkes huffed and turned his back to me. "Whatever." I stood and motioned for Scabbers. "You ready?"

"_Rattata!_"

We set off deeper into the tall grass, Scabbers in front, his nose twitching uncontrollably, and Fawkes trailing behind, still sulking.

The grass rustled and a round brown Pokemon that looked a bit like a raccoon darted out, chirping angrily at the intruders. A Sentret.

"Scabbers, get it! Do what you did before!"

Scabbers launched himself at the Sentret, leaving a tiny dust cloud in his wake. I realized what he was doing: in the game, it would be Quick Attack.

This was going to be harder than I thought. If I couldn't tell when my Pokemon learned new moves, how could I have them battle to the best of their abilities?

I shook my head. I could think about this when we weren't in the middle of a battle.

The Sentret looked a little banged up, but that didn't stop it from leaving a nasty gash on Scabbers' flank. My heart jumped.

"Scabbers, get back! Fawkes, you're up!"

Fawkes just looked up at me. I gestured towards the Sentret that was advancing on us. "Fawkes!"

Fawkes slowly climbed to his feet and opened his mouth, making a horrible choking noise.

"What's wrong?" I asked frantically. Fawkes didn't reply; he reared up on his hind legs and spat a ball of fire at the Sentret. It went up like a Roman candle, letting out a hair-raising screech.

"HOLY-!" I stared in horror at the charred, smoking lump. It didn't move.

I looked down at Fawkes, who seemed a little disturbed by what he'd done. I rubbed the top of his head, suddenly aware of just how dangerous these little guys could be.

I spared one last glance for the dead Sentret before hurrying back to the Pokemon Center.

* * *

"Okay, Fawkes, Scabbers, listen up," I said when they came running from the back room. "We're going to stick around here for today, train, and head up to Route 30 to nab another Pokemon before crashing here for the night. Sound good?

They both nodded.

"Okay, team, let's move out!" I felt so proud, proud that I was able to be such a good trainer despite the fact that I'd been dropped here just yesterday. I could do this.

Beat the game, go home. It had become my mantra since this morning. Fawkes and Scabbers might be relatively weak at the moment, but I was sure we could make it to the Pokemon League.

We stomped around in the tall grass on Route 29, flushing out wild Pokemon to fight. After a little while, though, I realized that we could just stay in one place and let the Pokemon come to us. So, we stayed near the edge of the towering blades of grass and were able to relax between attempted ambushes.

After Fawkes scared off a particularly nasty Pidgey with a well-aimed Ember attack, he trotted over to me, looking smug. He was getting better at controlling his fire, not letting it become so powerful that we had a repeat of the Sentret incident.

Suddenly, Fawkes' legs gave out and he collapsed, shaking. I hurried to scoop him up. "Fawkes? Fawkes, are you okay?"

He began to glow. Scabbers squeaked and hid behind me.

"Fawkes?"

The light became blinding. I was forced to let go with one arm so I could shield my eyes. My other arm, still holding on to Fawkes, became heavy.

"_Quil? Quil...ava?_"

I looked down and let out a shout. Fawkes had evolved. Now he was about two feet long with a line of fire running down his head and back, and looked a bit like a flaming, tailless ferret. He was beautiful.

"Fawkes! You evolved, buddy! Wow!" I hugged him tighter before jumping up, swinging him around with undisguised glee.

"_Quilava!_" Fawkes seemed to like being swung around, but after a minute, he began to kick. I quickly set him down.

"I'm so proud of you," I said, holding out my hand. He butted it with his head.

I felt something tug on my pant leg and I looked down to see Scabbers, his whiskers and tail drooping.

"Don't worry about it," I said, picking him up and snuggling him. "Cyndaquils just evolve sooner than Rattatas. You'll catch up soon enough." Good grief, it was like talking to a kid about puberty.

My words seemed to work, though, and Scabbers' tail perked back up. he jumped off my lap and landed on Fawkes' back. Instead of trying to throw him off, Fawkes didn't react, and even ended up letting Scabbers ride him all the way back to the Pokemon Center.

* * *

By the time we left, it was getting late. The sun was still up, but the sky had turned a brilliant orange, and the moon was already peeking over the horizon.

"All right, you two, we're heading to Route 30 before we hit the sack!" I announced, and set off with Scabbers riding on my shoulder and Fawkes trotting at my heels. Unfortunately, he was now just a little bit too big to be carried anymore. Oh, well.

The sun had nearly set when we reached the edge of Cherrygrove City. The woods beyond looked dark and threatening. I gulped.

But I wanted another Pokemon, and by God, I was going to get it before going to sleep. I took a deep breath. I had Fawkes and Scabbers; I'd be fine.

Not wanting to step on any sleeping Pokemon, we slowly walked deeper into the tall grass. My heart was pounding.

Night in Johto was different from night at home. Here, as soon as we rounded a corner, the lights of Cherrygrove City just disappeared, swallowed up in the blackness. The sky was clear, completely free of all the pollutants that blocked out the stars at home. I felt another pang of homesickness when I began picking out the familiar constellations: Orion, Ursa Major and Minor, Cassiopeia, all the ones I'd seen but couldn't remember the names of, and hundreds more that I'd never seen except in star charts.

Was the Pokemon world the same as mine, but with Pokemon? I knew that most of the regions were based off of areas in Japan, and that the Unova region was based off New York City, but what would I find if I tried to locate the equivalent area of the place I called home? What would I find there?

A twig snapped nearby and i froze. Fawkes lifted his nose, sniffing the air. He turned his head and froze like a pointer dog.

The grass rustled and a giant owl with orange eyes the size of softballs emerged. For some strange reason, its head tipped side to side in a constant rocking motion.

"Hey, little Hoothoot," I said softly. "Would you like to-?"

"_Quil-AVA!_" Fawkes let rip a fireball that exploded against the Hoothoot's chest. It squawked and flapped closer, trying to peck at Fawkes' eyes. I wasn't going to let that happen.

I snatched a Poke Ball from my bag and threw it at the Hoothoot. It was swallowed by the red light and the Poke Ball began to rock violently. Suddenly, the gal shattered and the Hoothoot reappeared. It did not look happy.

I cursed and threw another Poke ball. I held my breath as it rocked... rocked... and was still.

Deciding it would be best to keep my new Pokemon in the ball until it was time to heal up, I stuck it in my bag and ran. Fawkes was only too happy to go back to where it was light.

The nurse tutted when I handed her the Poke Ball containing the Hoothoot. "I just caught it, so it might be a little finicky," I warned.

"Well, at least you had the sense to bring her here," the nurse replied, slipping into the treatment room.

Her, huh? I knew what I was going to name her, all right.

A few minutes later, Fawkes and Scabbers gathered next to me to welcome our newest member. I pressed the button to release the Hoothoot.

She flared her wings when she saw Fawkes, screeching at her old foe.

"Woah, girl, it's okay. He won't hurt you now," I said, sliding in front of the Hoothoot. For a split second, I though she'd cocked her head, but then I realized she was tilting her head from side to side, rocking it like a pendulum. It was quite odd, to say the least.

The Hoothoot tucked her wings back in, but continued that rocking motion. It was seriously starting to wig me out.

I pulled out the Pokedex and checked the entry. There was a small blurb at the top: _Hoothoot, the owl Pokemon. No matter what happens, it keeps time by tilting its head._ There was more; a lot more than what was shown in the video games, but I could read that later. At least I knew now that she wasn't demented.

"Would you like to be a part of my team? I could really use a flying type," I said, trying to keep my voice soothing.

The Hoothoot hooted, so I took that as a yes. "You need a name... what do you think of Hedwig?"

"_Hoot!_"

* * *

_Hedwig joined the party! Female Hoothoot, level 3. Serious nature._

* * *

I smiled and stroked Hedwig's ear tufts. "I'll start training you tomorrow, but right now, it's time for bed."

Hedwig looked at me curiously, still doing that odd rocking motion.

"Uh, since you're nocturnal, would you like to fly around? Just don't overwork yourself, because tomorrow will be long," I warned.

Hedwig hooted, which I hoped meant she understood. The constant head rocking made it difficult to read her body language.

"Welcome to the team, girl." I held out my arm and Hedwig fluttered up to perch there. I carried her outside and she took off, soaring low over the trees.

"See you in the morning," I said, though she was probably out of earshot by then.

I went back into the Pokemon Center and sat on the couch I'd claimed. I pulled my bag and jacket off, stuffed the jacket into the bag to make a crude pillow, and kicked off my shoes. I was asleep within minutes.

* * *

"_Hoothoot. Hoot._"

"_Quil!_"

"_Tata!_"

"Five more minutes," I groaned, rolling over. There was a loud screech and I leapt up, apologizing profusely to Scabbers, whom I'd almost squashed.

He shook himself and jumped up to sit on my shoulder. No harm done, luckily.

"Okay, breakfast time. I saw a little cafe in town, I thought we could go there. No sense wasting our provisions when we can eat fresh food, am I right?"

There was a chorus of replies. Fawkes stuck his front paws in my shoes and managed to toss them up to me. I laughed and pulled them on. "Thanks, buddy."

A quick breakfast later, then we were heading back to Route 29 to train Hedwig.

"I want you to just watch Fawkes and Scabbers at first, then you can try," I said. Hedwig just kept tipping her head.

After sending several obnoxious Rattatas packing, I told Scabbers to step aside and let Hedwig try her hand. Wing. Talon. Whatever.

She took down her first opponent- a Pidgey- without any trouble, but the Sentret that next accosted us managed to hurt her pretty badly.

"Hedwig, get out of there!" I yelled, waving frantically. Hedwig turned to fly away, but the Sentret leapt up and clamped its teeth on her leg. Unable to fly with the extra weight, Hedwig was dragged back to the ground.

"Hedwig!" I screamed. She pecked at the Sentret, forcing it to let go, but before she could escape, it attacked again, sinking its teeth into her throat. Blood began to seep down Hedwig's chest, staining her creamy belly feathers scarlet. She fluttered weakly.

"Fawkes! Get the Sentret!"

Fawkes shot forward, slamming into the Sentret at an incredible speed. The Sentret decided it had had enough and it ran off, leaving a trail of bloody paw prints.

I rushed over to Hedwig and lifted her limp body. "Hedwig?"

There was no sign she'd heard me. I pressed my hand to her chest, trying to find a heartbeat. There wasn't one.

"No no no no no-" I looked around frantically, trying to think of what I could use to close the gaping wound at her throat. "Shirt. Shirt. Scabbers, tear this for me!" I held out the hem of my shirt, wanting him to get a rip started. He walked past me and nuzzled Hedwig, his eyes full of sadness.

Fawkes pressed against my side, trying to offer me comfort, but all I could think of was how I had failed the little Hoothoot for whom I'd do anything so she would start that irritating head-tipping.

Hedwig's body slipped from my fingers and I clutched at my face, crying. My tears mingled with Hedwig's blood.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, drawing Fawkes and Scabbers close and hugging them.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, mourning for our lost teammate, but when my legs began to cramp, I realized we had to get moving.

"Help me dig," I said, looking pleadingly at Fawkes and Scabbers. I stood and stretched, then knelt back down and began scraping at the dirt near the base of a tree. "Here."

Scabbers gently pushed at me and I moved out of the way. He and Fawkes began digging, their paws working faster than I could have with my bare hands. My skills could be put to better use.

I pulled a pocketknife from my bag, leaned over the working Pokemon, and roughly began to carve the bark of the tree.

_Hedwig_

_Hoothoot_

_Our time together_

_was too short._

When I was finished, I went back to Hedwig and gently picked her up. Her blood was already mostly dried, staining her beautiful feathers. Her orange eyes were still open, staring blankly at the sky. I closed them and tried to ignore the blood and the torn throat. Aside from that, I could almost pretend she was sleeping.

Fawkes and Scabbers had managed to dig deep enough to make a shallow grave. I lay Hedwig in the ground and began to push the dirt back into place. The only sign left was the barren dirt and the carved tree, and within time, even those would be erased.

We stood there for a while, and I tried to think of something fitting to say.

In the end, all I said was, "Good-bye, Hedwig. I'm sorry."

We turned and began the short trip back to Cherrygrove City.

It was the longest walk I'd ever had.

* * *

_R.I.P. Hedwig, levels 3-4._

* * *

**Not my first Pokemon lost in a Nuzlocke, but man... it's still painful. I had such high hopes for Hedwig... I was stupid and thought she could take it out in another hit, her Tackle missed the Sentret, and it got a critical hit. *cries***

**I have up to chapter eight written, so it's just a matter of how long it takes me to type this and my HP fanfic. And as soon as this is finished, I'll be starting on Distorted: A Pearl Nuzlocke (God I forgot how much I hate Candice), and have a trilogy planned out to Bare Bones: A White Nuzlocke.**

**Review please!**


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